Leesa Moir

Customer Service Officer. Years of service - 21 Years 10 months

Leesa has lived on Phillip Island since the tender age of 15. She joined Westernport Water straight from school.
Leesa enjoys bike riding, going to the gym, karate and all that Phillip Island has to offer. In her spare time, she involves herself with fundraising for organizations and causes such as Jeans for Genes Day, Shave for a Cure, Canteen and Red Nose Day. “I have volunteered for 10 years at Camp Quality, most of my holidays are taken up with camps. Working with this organization for such a long time gives you a lot of knowledge, and responsibility, which I like. The atmosphere is great, and the general public are pleasant - especially the plumbers,” she says. “Customer Services has a great team vibe. We have all have become friends and socialize outside of work. Working at Westernport Water lends itself to a certain lifestyle, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
I love the freedom and the cosiness of a small community.”

Dean Chambers

Water Treatment Plant Operator. Years of service - 15 Years

Dean was born in Rosebud and moved to Wonthaggi at age 7. To this day, he still lives in Wonthaggi, and is married with three girls. “I started (part-time) with the Coronet Bay project, overseeing works and Occupational Health and Safety, then moved onto Operations and Maintenance. I was successful in obtaining a traineeship at the Ian Bartlett treatment plant out at Candowie Reservoir and have been there for over 8 years. My work involves co-ordinating the sampling of water quality, making sure it is right for all parameters. One of the biggest challenges is the changing raw water quality and working with this to obtain a desirable result. I work on rotation with two others, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I enjoy conducting educational tours for universities, schools and community groups.
Of late, I have been helping local farmers with drought-related issues. What I like about my job is that I am always learning. I work with great people and really like the variety.”

Peter Brown (aka Skeeta)

Operations and Maintenance Supervisor. Years of service - 20 years

Peter (Skeeta to his mates) was born in Wonthaggi and lived on a dairy farm at Woolamai. He went to school at Woolamai Primary then went on to Wonthaggi Tech. He lives with his wife and two children at San Remo. Peter says, “I started as a Water Bailiff with Westernport, and then went on to Operations and Maintenance, then Storeman/Leading Hand. After a couple of years I was appointed as the supervisor of 6 outdoor staff. The area we manage extends from Archie’s Creek to the Nobbies, and onto Pioneer Bay, with 80 sewer pump stations and 60 medium and low pressure sewer pump stations. We take care of the sewer and water reticulation system – which has roughly 17,000 connections. Our team works on a rotation basis. We’re on call - 24 hours a day -7 days a week."
"I find the work diverse and I like being outdoors. The crew I work with are great. We have a good working environment and we all get together on a Friday night and have a beer and a laugh.”

Tony Ferres

Land Management Officer. Years of service - 19 Years

Born and bred in Emerald, Tony moved to Phillip Island at 26, where he married, had three children and now lives in Coronet Bay. “I started at Westernport Water as Leading Hand/Supervisor, then became Superintendent. The Corporation offered me a position as Land Management Officer, which entails the set-up and running of the three farms (at Cowes, Bass and Grantville) owned by
Westernport Water . My job involves running a wastewater treatment plant in Bass. We use an irrigation system which operates with 100% recycled water, and grow pasture and lucerne which is cut for hay and silage. I am also responsible for up to 200 head of beef cattle which run on the 500-plus acres of land I manage. I love the variety of my job, and the profoundly rewarding feeling of working the land and seeing things grow. The only thing I don’t like are the flies - because I know where they’ve been!”

Keith Gregory

Organization Development Manager. Years of service - 3 years

Keith moved to Phillip Island in 1995, after returning from overseas working with BP in Australia, the UK, Middle East, Indonesia and Singapore. His lives with his wife on a property in Ventnor, where he is a keen breeder of Alpacas.

Keith says, “My job entails managing the organisational, human resource and occupational health and safety functions in the Corporation. It’s a great place to work. Westernport Water provides employment to a large number of local people , and also provides an essential service to the community in our region. It is rewarding to see how our people have pulled together during a difficult time of drought to continue their work to provide this service. It is terrific to feel part of a team that can produce great results - even when under pressure.”